This is our new series in which we provide you with a recap of South Dakota Sports from the day prior while you start your afternoon. So sit back, relax, and enjoy the stories.
Good Afternoon! Hopefully you didn’t lose power during the last couple of days and if you did, I’m sorry to hear that. It’s been an interesting with the weather and hopefully we can continue to play sports with no more weather postponements.
Undefeated Teams
In the last blog, there were 6 undefeated teams remaining in South Dakota. But after a wild week, only 2 Boys Teams (Washington, Vermillion) and 1 Girls Team (Castlewood) remain undefeated. Let’s take a look at the two teams that lost, Aberdeen Central and St. Thomas More:
GAME: Brookings (2-15) 41, Aberdeen Central 32
No doubt a surprising loss, but the Golden Eagles are still one of the best teams in Class AA. However, with Brooklyn Kusler out with a hand injury, it could be tough for the Golden Eagles; they might have to play Brookings again in the Sodak 16. Right now, the two teams are #1 and #16 in seed points for the tournament. Yankton will play Douglas for a possible chance at the #16 spot, but if Brookings can defeat Watertown, the Bobcats will secure a spot in the tournament.
But will the Golden Eagles remain in the #1 spot? The schedule doesn’t get easier, as Aberdeen Central will face Harrisburg, Mitchell and Washington to end the season.
GAME: West Central (17-2) 60, St. Thomas More 53
Hartford might be the toughest place to play in the state, with St. Thomas More, Winner, Tea Area and Dakota Valley all losing on the road to the Trojans. It would have been incredible if the Cavaliers had remained undefeated with their schedule this season, but even 1 loss doesn’t downplay how good St. Thomas More has played.
Boys: Class AA Thoughts
Brandon Valley gets another great victory, this time against Harrisburg. The 53-38 victory on Tuesday night and the 62-60 victory over Yankton shows that the Lynx can play well against the top teams in the state.
O’Gorman also won a 60-42 victory over Mitchell at the Corn Palace. That’s their fourth straight victory and now they have a big game against Washington tomorrow. Have the Knights found their game? It would be very exciting if they went on a winning streak here at the end of the season, and probably will make us even more confused on who will win the state championship this season.
Honestly, I don’t think there is necessarily a guarantee that any two teams will reach the championship. Sure, Washington is the favorite as the Warriors haven’t lost all season, but the other team? I don’t think we will know until the game happens!
Girls: Castlewood Underrated
If you would have said that the final undefeated team would be Castlewood, I’m sure people would have refuted that statement very quickly! I’m sure they would say, “What about St. Thomas More? Or Washington? How can you forget about Corsica-Stickney?” Well, the Warriors have quietly won their way to the #2 ranking in Class B, and the #1 spot in Seed Points.
They had a great win against Hamlin early in the season, and have also defeated Flandreau and Florence/Henry, two great teams in their own right. But it’s time to put some respect on the Warriors’ name! Castlewood is good and they need to be in the discussion for the Class B State Championship.
New Rankings
We will have new All-Class Team Rankings later this afternoon and possibly evening. Will we have a new #1?
Final Thoughts
Support your community and have a great Wednesday!
As always, we do our best to include what we can, but we can’t include everybody. We enjoy the support you bring, and next week we will continue to have more analysis and recap on SD Sports!
